It’s been a few hours since Anti and Rose fought, apparently they have a “no face shots rule" after too many broken noses and jaws. So any sign of the fight was covered by layers of clothes. The Garden, James, Alice and her Fated, Sevrin and myself sit at the head table. I wasn’t sure why Rose insisted that Sevrin sit with us but I didn’t argue, I admire her as she talks to Sevrin about more facilities and answers his questions. The more I look at them, the more I start seeing slight similarities in their appearances; I shake my head. “I'm just tired”, I tell myself and turn my attention to the others.
Anti, Orchid and James are talking about numbers and how to accommodate the incoming shifters, as some had already started arriving. Alice, her fated, Trevor, Dahlia and Poppy are the farthest away from us, so I can’t tell what they are talking about. Dahlia has his leg propped up on a chair while Poppy works with metal and other tech to make a very intricate brace. It was made of Rose Gold and twisted around his bad knee like a vine. Poppy was too busy paying attention to her work to partake in the others' conversation. “Whatcha working on?” I ask Poppy through the mindlink.
“You know if it weren’t for the fact I’m a super genius I would assume it would be obvious. However, I am making him a brace so that he can use his bad leg without problem. If I can get the nanobots to do what I need, I can make it so that it’ll be able to fit his wolf form. I'm hoping it’ll work for him in both forms.” Poppy stops fiddling with the metal on Dahlia’s leg for a moment to add a note on her tablet. Suddenly, Rose and Sevrin stop talking and Sevrin stands putting a protective hand on Rose’s shoulder. “I will assume you came over to talk to your older brother.” he said, narrowing his eyes at Sammi who had just stopped in front of the table.
They stare at each other for a few tense moments and I assume they are arguing over the mind link. Rose takes a bite of her steak and acts like nothing is happening, she reaches over and grabs a napkin. Dabbing at the corners of her mouth like a proper lady she stands and looks between the two. “Well, now that the gang’s all here, would you like me to tell you what I know or would you like to go first?” She asks as she looks into Sammi’s eyes. Rose gives her deathly, sweet smile and tilts her head to the side ever so slightly.
Sammi's glare throws daggers at Rose. “I CHALLENGE YOU, ROSE, FOR THE TITLE OF LUNA!!” she yells. The hall goes quiet and Rose’s smile widens, clapping her hands together she lets out a laugh. “Maybe your head going through the door did some brain damage. In that case when I beat you again, I’ll spill your secrets to everyone.” She pauses as the rest of The Garden starts to move. “I believe it is custom that the challenged gets to pick weapons or style. I pick a cage match, that way you can’t run from the consequences of your actions.” Rose says as her voice echoes through the hall.
Sevrin looks between the two “You don’t have to do this little flower, I will handle this.” he almost pleads. Rose chuckles softly and pats his shoulder “Don’t worry! I’ve been fighting my whole life, one more won't hurt me.” She smiles at Sammi and even I shiver. “But it’ll hurt others.” She says. With that she steps out from behind her chair, tucks it in and gestures to Sammi to lead the way. Sammi hesitates for only a moment, before turning with her head held high and begins walking.
Within a few moments the whole pack is squeezed into the theater, The Garden’s members were finishing constructing a cage. Rose smiles as we walk and never wavers in her confidence, she really saw this as nothing more than a game. The two women come to a stop in front of the cage and face the crowd, cheers rumble through the theater as people chant who they are rooting for. Rose smiles and looks at me “These are usually to the death correct?” She asks me and I nod. “Good.” Is all she says and heads for the cage entrance; the smile never leaving her face. “Out of the kindness of my heart I’ll let you have one punch. Then, I’ll show you how insignificant you are compared to me.” Rose says using a commanding voice that rings out over the crowd's cheers, causing the crowd to cheer louder.
Sammi enters the ring and looks at Rose with deadly intent. Rose stays planted to the spot, unmoving. Sammi begins to circle her waiting for any movement or sign Rose was going to act and when she didn’t, Sammi got pissed. Sammi begins to advance on the unmoving Rose “You really are that cocky huh? Well I think it’s time someone knocked you down a peg.” She lunges at Rose. Sammi’s fist makes contact with Rose’s face, the impact making a loud thud. Any normal person would have been knocked unconscious but Rose didn’t even move, instead she starts laughing “If that’s really the best you have to offer, you’re fucked, Big Sister.” Rose says, smiling even bigger.
My brain stops functioning. Did Rose just call Sammi big sister? I watch as Sammi’s body stiffens and I feel my blood run cold. No, this wasn’t possible. I look over at Sevrin who looks at Sammi with murderous intent, the revelation is so shocking no one makes a sound. Rose turns to Sammi and hits her hard sending Sammi backwards into the cage, she starts gasping for air as the wind is knocked out of her. In a blur of movement, Rose is already on top of Sammi grabbing her up by her hair “Between the blood left on the door and a hair from Sevrin that Poppy obtained.” Rose look’s at Sammi. “A simple DNA test told me everything I needed to know, it was Jeri who let us know about the similarities between Sevrin and I.” She hit’s Sammi in the upper abdomen and I can hear bones break.
“You want to know the funny thing about supercomputers? When treated nicely, they tend to do things you never have to ask.” She grabs Sammi by the back of the neck. Rose makes Sammi walk to the middle of the cage again, as they get to the middle Rose delivers a powerful, bone shattering, uppercut to the bottom of Sammi’s chin. Sammi stumbles back a few steps and faces Rose, Sammi’s jaw was definitely broken. “So imagine my surprise when Jeri, the computer I helped program, notified me that there were two people within these walls that had a ninety-five percent chance we were related. Because we had such similar facial structures.” Rose says advancing on Sammi.
In a blink Rose is behind Sammi, she leans in and whispers something in Sammi’s ear, making Sammi’s face go white. Rose smiled and grabbed Sammi by the back of the neck again “As much as I love a good sibling rivalry.” Rose sends Sammi’s head through the cage. Sharp wires dig into Sammi’s neck “You’re not worth my time or effort. At least now we’ll share the same scars.” Rose says. Then without another glance at Sammi, Rose exits the cage and faces the crowd “Would anyone else like to try and flaunt their strength? Or do I finally have your attentions? Or do I need to show you all that I can kill quicker than anyone can blink?” She asks the crowd with a smile.
Two men stand up and Rose smiles “Perfect two of the weakest links ready to prove something, but to who? Her?” She asks gesturing to Sammi who was trying to pull herself free of the cage with as little damage as possible. “She still wouldn’t fuck you. Even if you stood half a chance at beating me.” She says dismissing them as if they weren’t a threat. The two men I recognize as Kyle and Elijah look at Rose with unbridled hatred. Without thought they rush the stage to try and get at Rose, but she’s faster. With a resounding crack, Elijah is the first one to fall, his head now turned the wrong way on his neck.
Kyle is the next and as he falls, Rose is revealed to be holding his heart in the palm of her outstretched hand. “Well, anyone else?” She asks the crowd. No one moves or breaths, Rose nods and tosses Kyle's heart on top of his body. “Clean this up.” She said to no one in particular as she heads over to me. “I believe I need to go wash up.” She tells me calmly and I nod unable to find anything to say. Rose turns her attention to Sevrin “I suspected we were related when you started calling me little flower. Although I don’t remember very much of before, I do remember having siblings. A brother and a sister, and call it a sibling bond but I just felt a connection with you. We have a lot of catching up to do, but I ask that we wait until I’ve rested. I don’t wish to soil our talk with death lingering over us.” She says to him.
Rose looks at me and I avoid looking at her not sure what to think at this moment, she bites her lip in thought and then shakes her head. “It’s okay Anubis. I don’t blame you.” She says quietly. I look at her, but before I can speak she is gone. Anti walks up to me and gives me a sad smile and gives my shoulder a squeeze. “It’s okay Anubis no one blames you.” He says taking off after Rose. Orchid and Dahlia follow, Dahlia walking normally with his new brace. Poppy stops and looks me right in the eye “I do blame you. Anti doesn’t speak for me, we all warned you.” She turns to the silent theater. “We warned all of you. We are only five of a small army that was made to be killers. Killing is literally what we do best. All five of us have been tortured and molded into killing machines. We were molded to never break to torture. Rose and Anti have been beat down more times than I can count in my lifetime.” She shakes her head.
“We warned you all and you couldn’t let your egos go and two died, because their egos were bigger than their abilities. But I realize now that none of you will take this seriously until you have a collar around your neck, and your freedoms taken away. Don’t expect us to help anymore. You dug your own graves. She turns to me and fixes me with a look. I trusted you, Anubis, because of your father’s confidence in you. If I had known you would turn coward because Rose had to stand her ground, against attacks to her, us and by extension you. I would have never opened up to you.” Her words feel like a punch in the gut. Poppy looks at me with disappointment and follows to catch up with the other four.
